Tunnel of Trees

The Tunnel of Branches — I call it. But originally named the Tunnel of Trees in Northern Michigan – a tourist destination. We didn’t make it to Harbor Springs before the end of the season. All of the leaves have fallen to the ground. But, the pictures that we captured are priceless.

Harbor Springs is about 3 1/2 – 4 hours or more — drive from Detroit. It’s a small town in Northern Michigan with a lot of hidden treasures — nice vacation homes, art galleries and a great place for some R&R.

There is a special area called, “Tunnel of Trees,” a nationally recognized tourist destination. You take windy roads all the way across M-119 which is north of Petoskey. You are not looking for anything in particular.. just looking up.. at the trees. It’s a beautiful scenic drive. The road is only big enough for 1 1/2 cars – it doesn’t have lines and sometimes the cliff is right next to you. So please be careful when driving.

As we whipped around these roads, many houses were up for sale, rent or renovation. Some of these homes were multi-million dollar assets – huge windows, beautiful view but didn’t look like anyone was home… anywhere. You can tell there isn’t much happening up here in Northern Michigan except for – relaxing. The view is impeccable.. absolutely priceless. I use to live in Petoskey while working for the Chamber of Commerce as their social media strategist. The summer is the most happening time all season.. You must come between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. A lot of the shops do not open in off – season.. but the rates are much lower which makes it easier to travel up this way.

I was very pleased to visit the Tunnel of Trees.. I look forward to going back when all of the leaves are bright red, orange, yellow and so on. This is a MICHIGAN MUST — if you’re from Michigan, you typically go here – at least once per year.

However, after Saginaw – I did NOT have internet. I have MetroPCS — which you probably know.. cheap service that only covers the Metro Detroit area. Why should I pay $140 at AT&T when I can get unlimited for $70 – including insurance 😛 BOoyah. Ask me how it felt to not be connected, when you’re a social media influencer, to the world? It FELT amazing… No WIFI, no internet, no tweets, no email — I was resting.. and relaxing.

So if you are interested in coming to the Tunnel of Trees next year, I’d be happy to show you around. We can even venture off the road a bit – like we did in these photos. Life is about capturing the moment. GO to the beach.. go to the edge of the cliff.. scary but kinda cool!

Melissa DiVietri, social media influencer that travels around the world while consulting with business professionals to demonstrate how to effective utilize social media. She discusses practices on how to increase brand visibility using robust tools that are only available to social media experts.